Cons: Could be better with some other than instrumental progressive metal music. You can hear distortion on high volumes (80<) in windows 7

Wow, i am soundwhoring in fps games now, i feel more aware of suroundings, and enemies steps distance, you can easily say the difference between some slightly cheaper and very cheap headphones!!! Had senn's HD429 + 558 + 598 open backs, and akg 550 closed backs before, oh man, sony are better in soundstage among them all, not sure by what margin, i'm not audiophile, but since i've started checking more expensive headphones like sens 5xx series, akg, i can tell the difference.
They are very light and comfortable, the other most comfortable headhpones i ever had (using right now) motorizer headphones. I love thin cable, makes me want to take them out with my smartphone sometimes,...

Cons: Grainy and veiled sound, Limited scalibility, Lacks refinement, Not the most coherent

Sony MDR-MA900 Review In the past I compared the Sony MDR-MA900 to the then similarly price AKG K612 Pro. I'm doing this review because I have the MA900 in my possession for a certain amount of time and I came to a better understanding exactly why I felt the way I do about the MA900 compared to the K612. I currently use the K712 as my main headphone but it is quite different sounding than the MA900 and I feel the MA900 is better compared to my HD 545 and K612 than the K712. The systems I am reviewing the headphones on is the HRT Music Streamer II+ as the DAC and both the Hifiman EF2A(with stock tubes, RTC tubes, Siemens tubes, GE tubes, and RCA tubes) and the FiiO E12 as well as many...

Negative Reviews

Ok, this is a headphone that I've been meaning to try out for a while. So after spending most of the day with them I'm going to give a few quick impressions. (I don't believe in burn-in mechanically with dynamic drivers)
I've listened to all my usual recordings for testing equipment, from ECM Jazz, recent top notch classical recordings, Ambient from the likes of Tim Hecker, BT, Jon Hopkins. and some favorite rock Zepplin, Black Crowes. REM.
This is just my opinion...
First impression was very good, smaller soundstage than what I was expecting but nice and airy. They are soo light! You can forget that you are wearing them.
Going...

70mm drivers, fully open design, premium materials, and simply the best comfort of any headphone at any price. The MA900 has many things going for it. The sound signature is a little laid back, but ever polite. One would think that a 70mm driver could provide a hearty slam. This isn't the case -- sub-bass is almost nonexistent, and midbass is inferior to that of a Grado. Decay is slow on the MA900, so the midbass isn't super-crisp. Treble, on the other hand, is quite smooth on this headphone. It's not a bright headphone, so even the shrillest of instruments, such the piccolo, won't pierce your ears.
The big problem, however, is the midrange. It's...

The MDR-MA900's the current the top model in the latest open-back line-up from Sony. While the latest generaraion is definitely not the greatest with a distinctly less "hi-tec" vibe then the previous SAx000 models (as perhaps can inferred from the one-digit-less suffix and the of course a much lower MSRP pricing) the MA900s, in particular as a TOTL model, comes with an altogether different concept- that of the "Full-Open-Air" design, Originally pioneered in the '90's with the MDR-F1 (by one of the principle desingers responsible for the legendary MDR-R10 by what i read in a certain blog, RESPECT).
How this design is differentiated from a standard...

Pros: A polite but engaging presentation, easy to drive, comfort, soundstage, great price!

Cons: Build & looks

The MA900 is “less headphone & more music”. The build is sparse, minimalist and does raise some doubts about durability. The magnesium alloy frame is the backbone holding the plastic enclosed lollipop drivers. The cable is nothing special and I never had issues with tangling. This headphone may not rank high on the build category but remember that it well makes up for it in comfort.The clamping force is delicate, but the headphone sits comfortably on the head – the 70mm drivers cover the ear with ample space to breath! You can wear this headphone for hours and not feel the stress of something sitting on the head. I will confidently say that the comfort offered by the MA900 is...

I purchased the MA900s to go along with my AKG K702 65 Anniversaries, as I wanted a headphone which didn't require amping and would be a little more musical with synths (AKGs tend to be too honest and 2D and untextured sounding with electronic and synthesized bass, and prefer instruments more). And so far, my impressions are that these are a great open-back, all-rounders for beginning audiophiles who want a headphone that goes well with almost every genre (save for bottom heavy stuff like dubstep and more mainstream rap) but do not have the amps and other equipment necessary for other open backs such as Beyers, Senns and AKGs to perform at optimum levels.
Much of my electronic...

Along with the summary below, I have posted a comparison review of the MA900, Audio Technica AD900X and AD1000X here:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/654161/review-comparison-ath-ad900x-vs-ath-ad1000x-vs-mdr-ma900-its-still-over-900
I've also got a youtube review of the MA900. If you like the video check out my channel for more reviews :)
Summary:
BUILD
The build of the MA900 is interesting. The headphone feels very light weight and almost flimsy in the hand. This isn't because it is badly built - on the contrary build quality is quite decent. It is the proportion of the parts, the super light weight and the way the frame is so...

Cons: not too good in terms of analytical capability, not so exciting to listen to

I actually just bought this headphone and expect it to perform well.
However, when I compare it to my Beyerdynamic T90, or even my DT990 pro, this headphone actually lacks a bit of the analytical capability.
You feel like the driver can't keep up with sound when you listen to something that has sound going back and forth the left and right earcups.
Another point is that, when it comes to a lot of instruments playing together, they tend to blend together into a mess. These are probably my complaints with the headphone.
Even so, I do have a lot of like to this headphone. The comfort is phenomenal. It is easily the most comfortable headphone I have ever...

Ill make this short and to the point.
The MDR MA900 is a fantastic headphone and even fantasticererer at the price of $200. The soundstage is just unbelievable, trumping cans that cost more than twice it's price (HD650, HD600, DT880). The imaging is also great, and the best thing about the soundstage is how focused it is. Neither the vocals, nor the bass are lost in this soundstage (amazing!).
Let's take a break from the sound.
These are hands down the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn, so if your thinking about the comfort, just stop it because it's just silly. I read someones impressions somewhere and he described the...

First off, let's just get the negatives out of the way. The MDRMA900s feel and look like $20 headphones. I have no idea what Sony was thinking when they designed these. They feel and look cheap. The cable is also extremely long and thin. It does not exude quality. However, I suppose there is a bright side to the cheap materials used here - the MA900s are feather-light. When I say light, I mean they are the lightest full-size headphones I have ever used. They truly disappear on your head when wearing them. They are one of the most comfortable headphones I have used and when wearing them I quickly forget how cheap they feel in my...

SONY MPR-MA900
Value
At $200-300 they are a steal. They are competing against the much more expensive high-end variants and partly excel at it. Overall, you cannot go wrong with these headphones – 10/10.
Audio quality
I have analyzed these using my laptop, connected to Audioengine D1 DAC/amp, listening to everything from piano concertos and symphonies to hip-hop. The bass goes deep and can be strong when needed without influencing the middle. The middle range is very clear and detailed. The treble is airy, soft and gentle, maybe a bit muffled at times. Soundstage is very convincing thanks to the open design and the...

I managed to try this MDR-Ma900 against others in the same shop.
The comfort and ergonomics of this Sony are very good.
Initially, I was pleasantly surprised how nice it sounded.
But after a longer listen I realized there seems to be grains and slight harshness especially the violins and mid upper registers.
I compared the same track and different music to be sure and the same graininess was there.
At this price and time of writing, I think there are better models out there with better highs than this.